21 more people confirmed killed by Cyclone Mocha in Arakan State

By Admin 19 May 2023

DMG Newsroom
19 May 2023, Sittwe

Twenty-one more people have been confirmed dead as a result of Cyclone Mocha in Arakan State’s Sittwe, Rathedaung and Ponnagyun townships.

Around 110 Muslims from Muslim villages and displacement camps were initially reported dead, according to a list updated on May 17.

Seventeen more people in Rathedaung, and two each in Sittwe and Ponnagyun, were subsequently reported dead, according to Action for Community Resilience Organization (ACRO), which has been surveying the damage in cyclone-hit areas.

Most of them were killed when buildings collapsed during the storm, said U Zaw Zaw Tun, executive director of ACRO.

“In Dome Pike Village in Rathedaung, 12 people died when a religious hall where they were taking shelter collapsed during the storm. Others were killed when trees and cell towers fell down on them as they fled,” he said.

In Ponnagyun Township, a 40-year-old woman from Pyinlarshae Village was killed when a cell tower fell down during the storm, said a villager. 

“The cell tower was located in the east of the village, and is surrounded by houses. It collapsed and fell down on her house. She was badly injured on her head. She was sent to Ponnagyun Hospital. She died after she arrived at the hospital,” said the villager.

Local people affected by the cyclone are reportedly in urgent need of food and healthcare services.

“As far as we know, the relief operation has not yet started. [Organisations] are still surveying the situation on the ground. People have received little assistance in places where we have surveyed,” said U Zaw Zaw Tun.

Hundreds of people and thousands of cattle were killed by Cyclone Mocha across the Arakan State townships of Sittwe, Ponnagyun, Rathedaung, Maungdaw, Buthidaung, Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U and Pauktaw, and numerous buildings including homes were damaged or destroyed.

Communications are still largely down, and the exact extent of the damage remains unknown.